act complete Angelcynn: The Myrcian Conflict - Act 3 Reunion

[Xinnidy]

"--Sidney!" Owen was taken by surprise by the embrace, but quickly returned it. "I'm so sorry... it was all beyond unexpected, don't blame yourself for it." Owen kissed her forehead, massaging the back of her head with fingers. "I'm sorry for the scare..." There really was no way around that. Who could've thought Malaphar had that sort of power.

The touching moment would be cut short by multiple voices addressing the prince, Owen gracefully breaking the embrace with Lady Montana. "What? Could you hear it, Sir Alain?" Owen spoke, puzzled to the nature of the information. If their voices could still be heard, surely the others would have some more words to impart with him as well. "What... what could you hear? We weren't able to finish him, he's a monster. All I could do was tire him. His powers aren't infinite, that's our one respite." Owen's tone became more grim by the word, "We should leave as soon as we can." At the very least, from his own return, Owen was certain Malaphar could just show up right beside them whenever he felt properly recovered.

One other voice, Emmet himself, had mentioned a name that quickly shook Owen from any other thoughts he held. "That's right! Cass, my sister." He looked to the healer, and then to his surroundings. "Where is she?"

[riariadne]

Sidney's breathing slowed, letting Owen go as him being safe felt real to her. "Cass wandered off, I think. I'm sorry, I wasn't paying much attention to what was going on. Mostly thinking to myself, sitting in the sand..." She shook her head. "Either way, I agree. As soon as we're all calmed down and have collected ourselves, and healed Sir Nelon to the best of our abilities, we'd be best off leaving. There's nothing here for us, so Tytila should be our utmost priority."

Sidney brushed herself off, retrieving her equipment before waving at the princess- evidently she hadn't gone that far- distraught in Adele's arms. "Hey! Sid to Cass! No more moping around, princess, you're brother's alright." She pat the young woman on the head, feeling she'd done her best. If Cass was insistent on being distraught, Sid was well aware there was nothing she could do to stop her. Soon... I'll be home soon.

Edited October 5, 2016 by Reinfleche

[Toogee]

All Glory to Dougistan

Decima wasn't sure if the prince had really become invisible, but had this... man(?) saved Prince Owen before? He was a noble, so it wasn't that farfetched, and she'd heard rumours of an ugly pegasus rider and a dungeon, but it couldn't be him, right?

"Oh, Doug... that's very nice of you." Decima replied, somewhat perplexed by his forwardness. "I don't think I've heard of you before? My father did say that there were some new nobles... but he was too busy talking about Ang-... Baron Kearney. Are you the other one?"

He seemed pleasant enough, he'd been decent enough to introduce himself. Perhaps there were some normal people like her in the Prince's group, everyone else had been so loud and strange.

"Indeed," Doug confirmed. "Matter of fact, me and Angus are neighbors. We just had a tour of our inherited lands. There's much work to be done, but if things go my way, we're going to make something Wyke has never seen before. Perhaps we can discuss it over dinner sometime?"

Doug wasted no time in trying to close the deal, but before he could get a response, four missing persons magically reappeared back at the base. He could see a crowd gathering around the four, though he really couldn't tell who was who from the air.

"Looks like luck shines on us once more," Doug said, pointing to the gathering back at base. Before he could get an answer from Decima, Agathon had inexplicably dived downward to the gathering. Almost as if he didn't want Doug to get an answer. Decima was left with a fading "Waah!" as Doug descended downward.

[Shin]

Oatmeal Repair

Hans and Lars had found Larissa within less than a minute, the woman had come running towards the group. Serge's bandages seemed to be holding, but Nelon didn't appear any better from them. Pulling out her staff to heal Nelon, Larissa didn't seem entirely confident.

"I'm not sure I can fully mend these wounds." Larissa sighed, looking across at the tears in his armour. "These cuts are too long and deep for someone like me to deal with. He'd need a proper healer or herbalist to treat him, my staff's far too simple."

The chances were that finding a suitable individual would be difficult in Magonsaete, and a friendly one would be even harder. Hans looked at his brother expectantly, although he didn't get any real response from him. "It's gonna be at least another week until we get to Raewald, ain't there somewhere on the way to stop?" he asked, completely unfamiliar with the geography of the nation. "Gotta be a village or something in the area... one that didn't get slaughtered. Might a little further out."

Esclabor had approached Owen, waiting patiently as he finished with Sidney. "The Princess slumped like a sack of potatoes when you vanished. She hasn't gone anywhere." Esclabor replied. "She probably isn't going to be much better. I remember we'd mapped out a village not too far from here, not sure if it hasn't been hit though."

-

Sky Stranger

Decima watched as Doug descended, perhaps not entirely intentionally. A new lord? He seemed a little odd, but he was very polite and friendly. Maybe getting to know him would not be a bad idea? If anything, it was nice to have someone her own age that she could talk to. If the Prince had returned, the chances were they'd be moving soon. Decima looked across at the horizon, the barren plains didn't have very much to offer. Did people really live here? Other than the places their groups had been, which were now in ruins, there was nothing. Maybe the glimmer of a settlement in the horizon, but even then her hopes were not high.

[Ether]

It didn't take long for Adeltrudis' visage to worsen, Cassandra's own predicament feeding into her own, already growing pains over it all. In failing to stop Owen from being taken, she had also failed Cassandra. Would the Princess ever smile again? It seemed less and less likely all the while. Every passing second, the weight of the Princess in her arms grew heavier and heavier, within moments bringing the Heiress of Herman to her knees, barely keeping herself upright in the mud. At least the others had gone to look, they would have better things to do, perhaps not see her in this pitiful state.

A few minutes passed. There was some sort of commotion, though Adeltrudis couldn't process it through the fog that had drifted into her mind. Panic of some sort... someone had probably been hurt. The healers would deal with it. There was no need for her to try and navigate this fog, for something she had no say in or could not help. And so the fog grew even thicker.

[SB.]

Come on now, keep it together... Claire told herself, slowly regaining some calm after everything was dying down. She took another look around, wiping her eyes with her left sleeve, and was relieved to see that everyone from Malaphar's world had travelled with them - with the exception of the wizard himself. What happened with Nelon could - well, it could come later. His wounds were serious, but Larissa and Emmet had stabilised his condition.

Just sitting there, watching the baron, wasn't exactly comfortable or making her feel any better, so the mage forced herself back to her feet. For a lack of anything better to do, she followed after Charlotte, in the direction of Cass and Adele. The princess didn't seem as distressed as earlier in the morning, but she seemed... for a lack of a better word, broken. Adele was down on her knees, seemingly the only thing stopping her from flopping into the sand. And Claire had no idea what to say about it.

She glanced nervously towards Charlotte, before speaking up. "That's right, we're back." she tried to smile about it, but the memo seemed to get lost on the way to her face. Too much had happened - the events of the morning before Malaphar's arrival felt like an era ago, and Claire felt exhausted in every way. Hopefully they don't ask too much about it... The thought was optimistic to say the least, but after going through hell she had no desire to relive it all so quickly. Especially when the subject turned to Nelon...

Had anyone else even noticed what she'd done? Or had they simply avoided her; at a loss for words? She had no way of telling, and far too much to think about. In the end, she managed the tiniest smile, but that was all she could do. This wasn't a happy day.

Edited October 5, 2016 by SB.

[Jotari]

Emmet nodded and concurred with Larissa. The knight needed better treatment then they could provide. He didn't feel good doing it but he entrusted the wounded man into Larissa's care and returned to the castle. He wasn't injured per se but he extremely tired. The battle yesterday, the argument today and Malaphar's world. It was hard to believe it was still only morning. They would have to move soon, try to find some village for supplies. But until then he decided to rest. He found a quiet spot and silently meditated on all that happened in the past few hours.

[Xinnidy]

Owen turned to heed Escablor's words, then turned again to look for his sister --there she was, embraced by Adele's arms, though their mood seemed to have turned for the worse. In his previous panic, he'd just missed them, but now his conscious wouldn't allow him to let them be. "I see. Thank you, Lord Escablor, Sidney. We should prepare to head over to that village. I feel we don't want to stay around for long, but heading to Raewald as we are would be too risky." If we stay too long, that wretched man might catch up to us, but I can't leave Ceirch in this state...

Without a further moment of hesitation, Owen hurried to his sister and Adele's side. "Sister! Adele!" He brought himself down to one knee, placing a hand on the heiress' shoulder. "Are you two fine? That madman... he thought to take me away and kill me, but we've managed to escape. Sir Nelon took grave wounds for my sake." He paused to look at the two. They seemed so... spiritless, as if part of their soul had been taken away. "D-Did something happen while I was gone, here?" He made no effort to hide his growing concerns.

[Nanami Touko]

There was some commotion... What was it? None of it matters, stop trying... Just accept that we lost. Owen is gone...

"Sister! Adele!"

That was funny. She almost thought she could hear... "Owen...?" Her near empty voice croaked his name as blank eyes brought themselves to look at him. "Heh... What a wonderful dream, this is... How terrible of my mind. Don't be so cruel to me..." After a moment of staring at what she considered to be an apparition, she leaned back against Adele, staring off at nothing again. There was no way they could have won against Malaphar if he could perform such magics while nearly dead.

This was just her mind playing a trick. A cruel, evil trick. Lying to her that her brother was alive and well, as if nothing had happened. She would have begun to cry had she any tears left, having spent them all earlier. Instead she remained motionless in Adele's arms, staring at nothing, not daring to look back at the phantom for what it might have become. One moment, her brother, alive and well, the next, a gruesome corpse, the truth of what must've happened to him.

[Juliette]

"Princess..." Freya mumbled, handing her over to Adele when signaled. She sighed at her inability to keep Cass in check even from herself.

The return of Owen and company was a good thing, of course, though not without injury. She left the care of Ceirch to more capable hands, though it seemed even they were struggling with how badly he was injured. Still, the soldier had no expertise in the area whatsoever, and would be of little help. Instead, she saluted the Prince on his return. "My apologies, Prince Owen. It seems that nothing I can do can snap the Princess out of her state of mind..."

[Xinnidy]

"S-Sister?" It was scary, Cassandra was... emotionless, it was far more than the dip in mood he'd assumed before. It was like any glimmer of hope in his sister was completely robbed. Was... was this Malaphar, too? Owen choked on his words. To see his sister like that was draining his resolve fast.

"No... it's true..." He embraced the two, "I'm sorry, I didn't predict his movements... but I've survived, it's me, sister."

[Shin]

Departure

With Owen's return and Nelon's health, there did not seem to be many other options other than to move forwards. Decima had returned with news, she'd spotted the village Esclabor had mentioned. Esclabor's intel seemed to match up, and if anything it wasn't a huge detour. Staying at the castle was a poor choice, even if Malaphar were to take his time to return - and it got them no closer to Raewald.

"From what I remember it's not too far from here, perhaps a day or two by foot." Esclabor remarked, looking over at Nelon. "Ceirch probably wouldn't want to be a burden, but he deserves at least a shot at staying alive. I don't know what he was thinking, he's always pulled stunts like this."

It hadn't taken long to pack everything away, there was no time wasted in ensuring the group left the beach promptly. The Reliants and assorted nobles they'd acquired were ready to leave. Esclabor had placed himself on Nelon's horse, carrying the injured knight behind him on the saddle. Captain Haddock and his men stood at the shore, watching as Owen and his group prepared to leave.

"This be where we leave ye, Prince Owen. We sailors aren't so useful on dry land, more comfortable out at see." he laughed, still trying to light his pipe. "We be letting Duke Herman know that ye be unharmed, and be warning him about that wizard fella. Mister Sebastian has written a fine report for him to read. When ye be ready to return, it be easier to pass through Myrcia, the boat journey be far easier when there be no bandits to try and steal yer skin."

Saluting Owen as his group left, the Captain couldn't help but feel oddly proud of the young prince. "Ye be just as much o' a leader as yer old man, Prince Owen... in yer own special way." he muttered, adjusting his hat. "Ye will be seein' it soon."

-

Silver Lining

The next two days were rather uneventful, their passage past the mountain fortress proved no issues - although the dead remains of Ywein's wyvern brigade were somewhat unsettling and Ywein's grave stood as a reminder of Angus' battle. The hills grew gentler as they passed the fortress, the steep mounds becoming flatter and wider with even mile. Nelon seemed to be holding it together, although he was drifting in and out of consciousness, barely muttering more than a few words every couple of hours.

On the morning of their third day, the plains had opened up, grass returning to the soil and bringing life to the barren land. Much as Esclabor had said, a settlement had peeked over the horizon, coming into view as Owen's group grew closer. The sun was high in the sky as they approached its edge, the day was still young and bright. Oddly enough, the village was nothing like the barbaric structures they'd seen so far. The buildings were still crude and lacking finesse, but they were oddly reminiscent of Wykian architecture. There were no wooden spikes or walls, simply a collection of buildings, the village wasn't prepared for war or raids, just life.

A man in a peasant's tunic walked across their view, looking over at Owen's group curiously. Probably somewhere in his thirties and not terribly intimidating, he was more puzzled than frightened of the pack that had arrived. "Welcome to Magon, strangers." he called out, giving a lazy wave of his arm. "We're a simple place, ain't got too much for travellers. If yer looking to stay around, it might be worth talking to Farmer Perroy. He ain't in charge or nothing, but we all listen to him anyways. Might be able to sort you somewhere to stay an' rest. He ain't bad with fixing people up either."

The party has arrived in Magon! Please check the sheet for details!

Nelon is no longer available for deployment!

[Dandragon]

"I think we'd all appreciate some rest." Serge sighed as he spoke. It felt like they barely had any peace. He scratched the back of his head, which seemed to be something he was doing a lot lately. He wasn't tired in the sense that he was sleepy, but things weren't getting any easier. He turned to face his mercenaries. "Right...Let's take some time to unwind then. For real this time. I think we all deserve a break. So...do whatever you want, as long as it's allowed. I'm gonna go see if I can't get us some food and a place to stay. If you need anything, you come find me, alright?"

[Jotari]

"I want to check out the local market" Emmet announced. "Where do you think we should convene?"

[riariadne]

Normal Magonsean life... how quaint, Sidney pondered as she entered the village, waving back at the peasant's gesture. "I suppose I'll leave figuring out our stay to others. I'll be sure to find you all later," she spoke simply. One building she noticed caught her interest quite quickly, so Sidney headed towards the chapel, waltzing through the doors.

[Nanami Touko]

Halfway through their walk, reality returned to Cass. She kept seeing glances of Owen through the corners of her eyes, and as much as her mind wanted to deny it and continue its blissful ignorance, she willed herself to return for the chance at him, finally walking and giving Adele the reprieve of carrying her. It had paid off... In a way. As much as she was 'back', though, she regretted it. Nelon had been horribly injured, the people that had been pulled into Malaphar's world had been hurt worse for their wear, and they were still stuck dead center in Magonsaete territory. What would it take for them to get out of here?

Stopping off at a village seemed to be their first priority. They had to save Nelon, far, far sooner than later. While none of their healers could, perhaps there was a proper doctor in the village that could close his wound the old fashioned way. When magic didn't work, medicine took its place. Maybe if I was a better healer...

"But I have to do something, don't I...?" She rubbed her face a moment, sighing, slowly walking over to Claire. "H-Hello, Claire, uhm... Would you, like to accompany me to the market? It would... It would do me some good, to speak to normal people, and provide myself with a distraction. Owen, he... He must have more important things to do, but..." She bit her lip, trying to smile, not managing. "You've seemed like you could use a healthy distraction as well."

Edited October 7, 2016 by Narmaya

[SB.]

Claire was glad to hear that the village had somewhere to treat Nelon, but she just hoped that his injuries weren't going to be permanent. If they were, then this crushing guilt would end up feeling even worse. She didn't have much time to think about that now with Cass' invitation.

At first, she opened her mouth to turn it down, hardly in the mood to be social, but she stopped herself. Can you really tell? The mage hadn't exactly had a lot of time to check a mirror, but she imagined that she hadn't exactly looked the happiest over the past few days. "Maybe you're right." she sighed, looking back at Nelon once more, before nodding at Cass a little more firmly. "I'll come with you then." Claire didn't sound particularly inspired, but it beat moping at the very least.

[Nanami Touko]

"I apologize if I am intruding, you've simply seemed... Put out of it. I... I might not know as much what that looks like, but I know what it feels like. I found out that Nelon's injury was your doing, but that... Well, if you hadn't, he would have died. It must be weighing on you. I've things weighing on me as well, so... Let's see if an old fashioned trip to the market can cure some of our woes, yes?" She gently took Claire's hand, leading her off towards the market. "We'll get some clothes, perhaps something for the group; some small magical knickknack or otherwise. You know these villages tend to have wonderful things hidden away. You just have to look."

[Terrador]

Angus disembarks from his horse at the sight of the villager, lazily thudding into the dirt. The fellow seemed decent enough, and word of someone good at "fixing people up" could only be good news. Bearing in mind both Ceirch's injuries and the concerns involved with stabling a half dozen mounts, Angus begins to walk backwards, waving a few of the group with him.

"Baron, Ladies... Doug." Angus can't stifle a chuckle--the poor rider really did wind up with crowds he was ill-suited for, didn't he? "I'm thinkin' we pay this Perroy a visit, get settled in. Maybe he c'n do somethin' about Sir Nelon, bless 'im." His counterpart's injuries, while unfortunate, didn't really perturb Angus. That was the wager they made to serve the Crown, and frankly, all five of those who went into that world had good business being dead right about now. However, he did rather hope that Nelon could find his feet again. The oatmeal-loving baron was a strong and loyal soul; it would be a dreadful shame for him be crippled in his prime.

Edited October 7, 2016 by Terrador

[SB.]

"How did you-" Claire started, before realising it didn't matter. Maybe Owen had told her, or maybe she just worked it out from the nature of Nelon's wounds. Regardless, she knew, and although part of Claire was relieved that the princess didn't think of any less of her, that didn't erase her problems. Before she could say anything else, she found herself being pulled along by Cass in the direction of the market.

"That's not it..." she muttered, avoiding Cass' eye as she followed. Her saving Nelon's life didn't matter. Well, it did, but it felt insignificant in comparison to her blunder. "Maybe I saved him, but it's still my fault he's in that state. I completely overdid it. Even just... going to Malaphar's world, that was because of me too. All because I couldn't stay calm."

If she hadn't attacked Malaphar, they could have walked away.

If she hadn't attacked Malaphar, they wouldn't have made enemies with the seemingly immortal wizard.

If she hadn't attacked Malaphar, Nelon would still be able to walk.

Everything was her fault.

[Nanami Touko]

"I won't tell you not to blame yourself," Cass said back to her, not looking at her, as Claire's issues struck with her own well enough, "but don't hate yourself for it. We both... Can't hate ourselves for what we've done wrong. Or what we think we've done wrong. You've been a wonderful help this whole time, quiet or not, and even if Nelon is in that state... It's better than dead. No matter what anyone says... As for Malaphar, I... I'm almost jealous, really. You had the guts to do what most of us wanted to, and none of us could. He'll know we're not just some sheep to herd next time. You did something very brave."

She looked back finally, and managed to smile, letting go of Claire's hand. "Now, come on. Let's get away from all of this. Some shopping will do us good, we can have fun, pick out clothes, find something to eat. You can tell me everything you hate about Angus, it'll be fun~"

Edited October 7, 2016 by Narmaya

[SB.]

Claire faced back towards Cass, a little lost for words at first. "You're too kind, princess." she murmured, finally catching her eye. Somehow, a smile had found its way back onto her face. The praise meant something to her, even if she felt that she didn't deserve it. She had stood up to Malaphar once, even if she was too weak to stop him - she had a feeling that they'd meet again. And that day would be her chance to set things right.

"Alright." she nodded at the princess, feeling a little better than before. She'd likely just follow Cass' lead, considering shopping was something she hadn't done a lot of, even in Wyke, but that was fine. "Does it really come across like that?" she laughed as Cass finished speaking, a little embarrassed about it.

[Nanami Touko]

"Only when he's doing something stupid, of course. But I think everyone hates it when he does that." Come to think of it... "You really don't hate him, do you? You've always seemed annoyed at his antics, but behind that, he's not worthless. He fights well, and there is a brain in there, at times. Not like how you seem to actively avoid Emmet... It all has to do with that vial, doesn't it." Speaking of that, would now be a good time to bring it up? Would it be worth it? Maybe... Would she get a better chance? Probably... Did her curiosity care? "Can you tell me what the vial really does? It feels like this big deal and I'm just... Entirely out of the loop on it."

Edited October 7, 2016 by Narmaya

[SB.]

"Well, when he throws me straight at a pegasus, I think I have a right to be a little annoyed." Claire sighed, still not quite sure why the Kearney thought that could ever be a good idea. "But you're right, I don't hate him for it. Angus is... strange." That was a polite way to put it. She wasn't quite sure what to make of him, even after all the time she'd known him. "But in his own weird way, he's dependable." she supposed.

"So yes, not like Emmet. The elixir actually isn't related. Well, it's a part of it I suppose, but..." she trailed off for a moment. The vial wasn't really a subject she wanted to discuss now, but Cass had kind of put her on the spot again. At least there's no crowd this time...

"I wish I could tell you, Princess." she began, with honestly not an awful lot to say. "Supposedly it can give new life to the dead, or cure an illness, but if what Malaphar said is true then it comes with a cost." She frowned, still worried about Slappy after all of this. "Of course, we can't take his words at face value, but there's no guarantee that he was lying either." Frustration had seeped into her voice by this point. There were far too many things she didn't know about the wizard and the vial, and for now she was powerless to find the answers.

[Nanami Touko]

"He threw you at a pegasus? What?" Even for Angus, that was... That was a special move, really. "You survived, obviously, but... Gosh." He'd never thrown her, and she wasn't about to be jealous of it. "Do you dislike Emmet, Claire? I find him... Odd, but, he's been rather helpful, for the most part. I don't understand why he's so fixated on this vial of... Whatever liquid, but..."

Claire's answer brought some of the healer's want into view. "Give new life to the dead..." Cass thought about that hard, going somewhere she probably shouldn't have, before coming back to question Claire further. "What did he say was the cost? Er... If this is making you uncomfortable, I can stop prodding. I just feel like... I've been missing out on a lot, ever since we left. I've closed the distance with my brother, but not with the rest of you, or the issues you all face. I don't even know any of the new people Serge has hired, hah..."